The Ocean Above
by WinterOrchid99
Summary: In a time when the skies were without color and the hearts of mankind blackened by generations of loathing, two young lovers will change the world. A mix of Romeo and Juliet, The Little Mermaid, and an old African legend. One of the land and one of the sea, both raised in hatred and alight with curiosity, two people create a bond that is stronger than the ocean itself.
1. Introduction

**Hello all! Please enjoy my story and review. Story and characters are all mine, though they are inspired by the stories mentioned above.**

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 **Introduction**

There was once, long ago, a time when the sky held no color. In the day as the sun trekked across the heavens the sky would turn from black, to gray, to black again as the moon rose. There was color on the earth of course; the leaves were green, the soil was dark, and the _water_ was blue. Mysterious, impenetrable blue.

The people of the land led prosperous and full lives. The forests were full of game and their fields were always covered in greens and reds and yellows. Yet, being people, they were curious of what lay beyond their village. Several families decided to explore past the reaches of the village, so they packed up everything they could carry and set out into the world. They traveled to the West until they discovered a rather unexpected obstacle blocking their journey. A large, wet obstacle.

In their old village there had been lakes and rivers nearby so they were of course familiar with bodies of water, but none of them had ever encountered an ocean before. It was daunting to behold, and believing it to be a body of fresh water they decided to remain by the sea. One can imagine their surprise when they discovered this water was different and not at all pleasant to drink. Part of the group decided to continue along the shore in search of a way around the ocean since they saw no use for the water, but the other half decided to stay. For them the sea seemed like something wonderful, and they were quite curious to discover what secrets it held. They located several rivers that flowed into the sea, and so, had enough fresh water to thrive. The people were happy and they believed they had found the perfect place to live. There was much celebrating in the first days and much building to be done as the adults worked and the children played along the shore away from the village where the cliffs dropped down into beaches. It was during these first weeks of settling that they discovered that they were not the only people who lived by the shore.

A young girl of this other tribe liked very much to approach the growing village nearby her own home to watch the other children play. They skipped about from slick lichen-covered rock to rock, splashed in the shallows, chased each other along the soft-sanded beach; it all looked like great fun.

For several afternoons she watched them, trying to build up the courage to join them. Finally, one afternoon, she approached a girl who had been jumping from rock to rock out into the sea, hair as dark as the deepest chasms sailing in the ocean breeze. The little girl was flying from rock to rock with such joy that she didn't even notice our curious friend until she was practically on top of her.

When the little girl first saw her, she shrieked, more out of surprise than fright. She had never heard of people being _in_ the big water thing before. The girl in the water darted away at the startling sound but the girl on the rock called out for her to come back, for she had not meant to frighten her. Slowly, the girl in the water returned, and the girl on the rock started talking right away, both excited at her discovery and desperate to keep the strange girl from swimming away.

At first, the girl in the water remained hesitant, but slowly, as her deep maroon eyes glistened with amusement at the rambling, excitable voice of the land girl, she became very comfortable. When the land girl had chattered up a storm, and finally decided to breathe again, the sea girl couldn't help but laugh. The land girl soon joined her and they laughed til their sides ached and their heads buzzed with mirth. Once they'd regained some measure of breath and composure, they looked back at each other's faces...and burst into laughter all over again. Between the red-faced gasping and eventually intelligible conversation, the two children found themselves in the company of a new and wonderful friend.

They talked and talked and the girl in the sea finally asked her new friend if she would like to play with her in the water, since her mother had told her never to go on land. The girl on the rock said yes right away, eager to explore the new world before her which her friend had woven into a wonderland of life and color hidden just beneath the waves. It was at that moment, as the girls joined hands and moved towards the water that the land girl's mother came to get her off the rocks and back home for supper.

When she saw her daughter in the hands of a strange looking girl with pale skin and red eyes, she screamed. Both children wheeled towards the noise. This sudden movement made the little girl twist and fall from of the slippery rock and into the ocean. To her mother it looked like she'd been pulled in.

As things would turn out, the little girl hit her head on the rock as she fell and when her friend saw the blood she didn't know what else to do besides bring her to her own mother to get help. So down she took her friend, all the way to her own home. As you can probably guess, neither child knew that the land girl could not hold her breath for such a long time. The people of the sea were quite surprised and saddened to discover their neighbors on land this way and were even more grieved when, while trying to return the body of the young girl, several of them were attacked by the land people. For the people of the sea, their barbaric, violent neighbors were not worth their time; while the people of the land stoked a loathing amongst them for those of the sea. It did not take long for the events of that fateful day to be woven into a terrifying tale of vicious beasts who stole away children into the ocean with eyes painted in blood.

This was the beginning of the hate and fear for one another that would remain for many, many generations. Those on land were taught to loathe the people of the sea and vice versa. Slowly, the curiosity that had brought the two peoples into contact in the first place was trained out of them until nothing but animosity remained. Well, except for in the hearts of a delicate few.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello all! Here's chapter 1. Please enjoy and review!**

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 **Chapter 1**

After more generations than was truly known since their meeting there was only one person on land who was unafraid of the sea. Though she had been surrounded her whole life by myths of pale people with sharp teeth and blood red eyes who would drown her if given the chance; the chieftain's daughter, Kina, felt drawn to the sea. For as long as she could remember, the tantalizing, salty breeze had whispered to her, drawn her to the silken waves and cloudlike foam. When she had been a young girl she had explored the cliffs daily, each afternoon walking farther and farther away from the village. One day, she discovered a place where the land between two cliff walls dipped down into a secluded bay adorned with a small beach with soft, powdery sand. This became her favorite place and she returned every day. After thoroughly exploring her new hideaway, Kina discovered a ledge in the cliff wall of one side of the bay where she could walk out above the water to look farther out to sea.

No one else in the village ever seemed to understand her curiosity or connection to the sea. She had tried bringing some other children with her when she had been young but they had been afraid of the bay, telling her it felt as though they were being watched. None of them told their parents about what they had seen though, and instead simply avoided Kina. All except one young boy named Senai, who remained her friend even though he refused to go anywhere near the bay. Despite all their fears, Kina was not the least bit dissuaded from returning to her special spot. If anything, the reluctance of her village mates made the bay seem all the more magical to Kina, as if she alone was welcomed by the sea.

Day slipped into day and years passed. Soon Kina was a young woman and had very little time to herself to go to her bay except at night when most people had already gone to sleep.

One night, when the heavens seemed especially bright and everything seemed to glow in the pale light, Kina crept out from the hut she shared with her father. She snuck through the quiet village and into the forest where the shadows would hide her from the eyes of the world. She walked along her path, ducking around branches and climbing over fallen trees. Every so often the moonlight would pierce through the canopy and strike the leaves dripping with moisture, turning them silver. Before long, her faint path began to curve back towards the water and Kina emerged from the forest atop the cliffs that framed her glistening bay. As she looked out to sea she saw how enormous and close the moon seemed, almost as if she could jump off the cliff and land on its back. Although she was tempted to try, Kina instead just walked to the edge of the cliff and spread her arms like wings, feeling the salty wind wrap around her and pull her towards the waves lapping at the stone below. She wrapped her toes over the edge of the grass-covered rock and smiled to herself as she listened to the waves and the wind.

As she was straining her ears for all the sounds and sensations of the world around her, Kina suddenly noticed the whispering of music floating over the water. Surprised, and yet _enchanted_ by the soft, rolling melody, Kina looked down from the moon, desperate to find its source. Her eyes raced over the rippling waves until...there! Floating against the face of a jagged spire of rock was a man.

He was young, hair so light it was almost white, skin of the same pallor, and eyes red as blood. Calmly playing his melody on his pipes in the moonlight, probably not much older than herself, the man below her was without a doubt one of the sea people. In an instant, a horrible, violent fear raced through her being with alarming speed. Kina's blood turned to ice in her veins and her legs suddenly felt much weaker. Tales of unspeakable horrors told in the dead of night raged through Kina's mind on the backs of imaginings and nightmares. Her heartbeat raced as quickly as if she had just finished hunting, only now she felt much less like the predator and far more like the prey. Kina felt frozen in place, unable to do anything other than watch the man in the water play.

Later she would reflect and see how ridiculous it was to be terrified of a person playing an instrument two long tree lengths below her who had _clearly_ not noticed her presence, but right then, all she could imagine was the man putting down his pipes and leaping up from the water to drag her down into its depths. It was true that Kina was not afraid of the water, but she was most definitely afraid of the sea people.

She stood there on the cliff, watching the sea man in the water, she knew not for how long. But eventually, he put down the pipes glanced around himself, looking concerned, and disappeared under the waves. Once he was gone Kina was finally able to move and she sank to her knees, shaking slightly. Slowly but surely she regained control of her breathing and her fluttering heart beat at its slow, steady rhythm once again.

"I should return to father soon," She murmured quietly to herself, feeling the need to speak her actions aloud in an attempt to feel normal again,"it will not be long before the sun rises again."

She stood and looked out at the brightening sea one last time before turning to head back home. It was then that the earth began to move. It started as just a small vibration but rapidly grew until Kina lost her balance and fell to the ground, holding onto the grass there for dear life. She had only ever felt a quake like this once in her life when she had been very small, wrapped in the arms of her very warm mother, and very safe inland. Now, she was clinging to the cold earth at the edge of a cliff and praying furiously to whatever spirits might help her.

They did not hear her.

Kina heard an awful grinding sound and suddenly she was falling, pieces of the cliff raining down around her. As the water came up to meet her Kina vaguely wondered if she should have screamed.

Hitting the water was like running straight into a hard, wet tree at her fastest sprint. Kina opened her mouth involuntarily as the cold lanced through her every nerve and watched her precious air race away. Closing her mouth and fighting against the water pulsing around her, Kina thrashed wildly about. She clawed at the water but only seemed to be pushing herself farther from the surface. As her lungs began to burn and her limbs grew lethargic she felt like crying. Although perhaps she already was and simply couldn't tell. Her hands reached out for the stars somewhere above her who were slowly winking out with the rising dawn. " _I do not want to die."_ She thought to herself. " _I do not want to die alone."_ As her vision began to tunnel inward she vaguely felt the touch of a person's hand around her arms but no longer had the ability to do anything but sink. Down, down where it was cold and dark and still. Where the wind didn't blow and the sun... the sun?

Kina's eyes flew open to look into the first rays of sunlight, senses reeling. She clung desperately to the rock in front of her as her body forced the water from her lungs. Even when it was all gone her body kept convulsing, making her painfully expel the now abundant air from her burning chest and stomach. Finally her mind began regaining some control and her convulsions died down to shivers that fluttered sporadically down her spine. It was then, as her mental faculties slowly returned that she recognized the presence of two hands on her back, holding her steady against the rock.

Her head snapped around to come face-to-face with blood-red eyes. The scream tore itself out of her throat and even she was somewhat surprised at its volume as her already adrenaline-charged mind began to panic again. The man behind her was also very startled and he darted back at the sound.

Kina's heart was racing as she tore herself away from the sea man, frantically pushing through the shallow water to the nearest cliff face, which she climbed as fast as her still-shaking limbs would allow. Only when she had reached the familiar ledge in the cliff face did Kina finally stop and look behind her.

The sea man was looking up at her from the water, a mixture of sadness, concern, and curiosity painted across his face.

"Please, please do not be afraid," he said quietly. Kina was rooted to the spot, half out of fear and half out of something she couldn't identify. Never had she heard such a voice before; as smooth and deep as the water around her. "Please," he repeated.

"I-I need to go." She replied, half surprised she had managed to find her voice. The sea man looked saddened by this.

"Will you return?" He asked quietly.

Kina knew she was tired, and in shock, and probably unable to make very wise decisions after her near-death experience. Still, she wanted to tell him she would return, as she had always returned to the sea, yet now she felt ready to run away and never look upon the water that had nearly swallowed her ever again.

"Perhaps," she rasped, "perhaps."

With that, Kina turned back to the rock and scampered along the ledge back to the shore. From there she tore away from the ocean like there was fire licking at her heels and raced home. The whole world suddenly appeared dangerous to her weary, frightened eyes. The branches she had kindly brushed past mere hours ago now whipped at her with a ferociousness that startled her. The path she had tread since her youth felt somehow strange and unfamiliar to her feet. It wasn't till she was in sight of the village that she realised she was crying. When she reached her bed, she collapsed onto the blanket and curled up tight. She squeezed her eyes shut and slowed her breathing, trying so very hard to forget, to drift away, to lose herself in the warm embrace of dreams and darkness.

Please Review! And enjoy the rest of the creative world at your fingertips.


	3. Chapter 2

**Enjoy this next chapter! Please review if you find the kindness or criticism in your heart to do so.**

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 **Chapter 2**

"Get up lazy-bones! We're going to the berry fields today and you promised we'd get there first! If the twins get there before you no one will be able to keep them off the strawberries. They'll eat the whole patch before we can even blink!"

"Senai, it's disrespectful to shout at the dead..."

"Hah! Well then, I guess I'll leave it to Otenga to pick over your sorry carcass when he finds out you've been out all night... _again_."

"No!" Kina jerked awake instantly at the mention of her father. "Senai you promised you would never breathe a word of my... nighttime wanderings."

He smiled down at her and said, "And I never will. I just had to say _something_ that would get you up in a hurry."

"Well," Kina smiled ruefully and gestured to her conscious form, "I'm up."

"That you are. So! Lets go, lets go! Uppity uppity!" Kina laughed as he pulled her up and twirled her around.

"I'm up, I'm up! Now get out so I can change." She playfully kicked him out, both with wide smiles on their faces. Once Senai was outside, Kina's smile faded quickly. Her throat still felt raw and sore from the horribly salty water the night before. She reached next to her bed and uncorked the waterskin. After taking a blessedly cold drink, Kina placed the waterskin back and straightened up. She stretched her sore muscles and sighed contentedly before turning to the basket where she kept her clothes. She paused before it, memories of the previous night tickling her mind. She felt a shiver run down her spine and the hairs of her back rise up in warning as she remembered the warm press of the sea man's flesh. Kina shook her head to dislodge the unnerving thoughts and turned her attention back to the basket before her. She had to act normal around Senai or he would suspect something. Normal, what was that again?

Rooting through the basket Kina pulled out a fresh tunic of soft cloth with beads sewn into the hem. She slipped on the clothing and grabbed a few baskets for the berries as well as her water pouch. Slipping out of the hut, Kina was confronted by a very impatient looking Senai.

"Come on! What were you even doing in there? Surely pulling on a tube of fabric isn't that hard."

Slightly miffed by his tone, Kina retorted, "First of all, I hardly took any time to change, and secondly, this _tube of fabric_ took me a heck of a long time to make!"

"Right, right," Senai looked at her with an amused smirk, "I'd forgotten how inept you are at all things domestic."

He hardly had a chance to finish his sentence as Kina let out a roar and tackled him to the ground, pinning him in seconds. Some passersby glanced their way momentarily, but just smiled at their antics and went along with their business. The earthquake had left them much rebuilding to do, and it was nice to see such a normal occurrence on this rather unusual day. After all, those two had been like this for as long as the villagers could remember: bickering, bantering, and tussling on a regular basis. They were practically brothers.

"What were you saying?" Kina said in her sweetest voice.

"All right already, get off me!"

"Make me." She said with a laugh. Senai looked up from the dirt with a grin and suddenly Kina was on her back, pinned down by his admittedly stronger body.

"What were you saying?" He parroted, smiling.

For a moment Kina was stunned. She had honestly forgotten the distance between their strengths had grown recently. It felt a bit frightening, to see that her old friend had been changing. She pushed the feeling of disquiet away and smiled again.

"You need to start eating less. Honestly, what have I told you about snacks after bedtime?"

"Hah! Alright then mother, I'll be sure to be a good boy from now on." Senai clambered up and helped Kina to her feet, his face stretched in a wide smile as she mock gasped.

"How dare you insult my age and womanly being! You would be lucky to have a mother half as fabulous as I."

"Don't let my actual mother hear that or she really will teach you just how _fabulous_ she is." He picked up the baskets that had been dropped in the process of their morning exercise and put them on his shoulders. "Seriously though, we really should be going."

"Hey, I've just been waiting around for you to get a move on, slowpoke."

"Who're you calling a slowpoke?! I'm the one who had to drag you out of bed!"

"Does it surprise you that I prefer its company?"

"Hey, at least _I've_ been washed recently."

"Mhm. And just how 'recently' was this exactly?"

"Oh, stuff a fish in it." Laughing with Senai certainly did help to make Kina feel more normal and grounded again as they made their way to the berry patch.

Every season, there is a great gathering of children and women in the berry patches. They pick and pick till every spare basket is filled to the brim. Ever since Kina's cousin, Etani, had her twins Ryo and Ryte the berry days have become something of a berry massacre. Those boys could eat every crumb in the village and still have room for more. They could swallow the sea if they tried.

By the time Kina and Senai arrived at the patches, Ryo and Ryte had already set into the poor, unsuspecting plants.

"Noooooo! The little foxes got here first!" Senai's wailing drew the attention of the two "foxes", who turned towards the sound eagerly and raced in his direction.

"SENAI!" They tackled him with all the force their two small bodies could muster.

"You came! You came! You came!"

"Eat berries with us, eat berries with us!"

"I dunno, you guys are pretty heavy! Are you sure they're not already in your tummies?" Senai tickled the twins as they rolled about and tackled him.

"We ate a lot of berries-"

"- but there's still lots left-"

"-so you can have some too!"

"They're YUMMY!"

Senai laughed as he wrestled with the two boys who were practically covered in sweet, sticky, berry juice.

"I can tell!"

"Hey, boys," Kina spoke up, hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips, "do I get any love?"

"Nope!" Ryte cried and tried to climb onto Senai's head. Ryo, on the other hand, immediately let go of Senai and barrelled into Kina's legs, glomping them with all his might. Kina staggered a bit, then reached down to pull Ryo onto her hip.

"My goodness you sure have gotten big! Why you might be big enough now to...eat right up!" Kina attacked Ryo with all the kisses and tickling nibbles to the belly she could manage while Ryo shrieked with glee and squirmed about.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"Never!" A new cacophony of giggles arose from the little boy's throat. Finally, Kina stopped her feast and instead placed kisses on the brow of her little cousin.

"Who's my favorite little man?" she whispered.

"ME!" Ryo shouted. Kina laughed.

"Just don't tell your brother." She turned to look at the little boy in question and found him still clambering all over Senai, who was slowly being covered in splotches of sticky berry juice.

"C'mon you two." She said looking down at her two bear-men. "Let's get to it!"

Though they groaned and moaned for a bit, Senai and Ryte eventually got up and followed to the berries. Ryo clambered down from Kina's grasp to chase his brother, though his habit of following Kina wherever she went ensured their continued progress towards the berry bushes. As the group neared them, the twins began to focus less on each other and more on the yummy treat before them. As the boys jabbered on about the best bushes and plumpest berries they'd found Senai handed a basket to Kina. She sent a smile his way before being distracted again by the demanding little voices leading them around.

When they finally plonked themselves down in the bushes, Senai made sure to stay by Kina. If anyone had asked him why, he might have responded with something like "tradition," but that wouldn't have fooled anyone else but the girl at his side herself. Although she never noticed, Senai hardly left Kina's side throughout the day. By the time they brought their full baskets to the clearing where berries were being dried and boiled down, Senai's basket was significantly less full than Kina's. When she teased him about this fact, he merely retorted that his hands weren't made for berries, their purpose lay in hunting down the great beasts of the wild. Kina rolled her eyes, missing the pink that dusted Senai's cheeks as he thought to the real reason he had so many fewer berries. All afternoon, Senai had struggled to keep his eyes off his dear friend as the sunlight had illuminated her beautiful face, her lithe figure. He'd been entranced. She hadn't noticed. She never did.

By nighttime, the berry-pickers more closely resembled slugs than humans, each slowly dragging their aching carcasses back to their huts and open-armed beds.

Kina was so tired, the thought of returning to her bay never even crossed her mind. The following night she could not bring herself to leave her bed. Her mind was torn between her haunting memories and her blissful ones. How many times had the bay welcomed her with open arms? Would she ever forget the feeling of numb terror as the world floated away? Surely what had happened to her would never happen again. But, if she did return, would the sea man be there? Lying in wait to drown her? Surely not, after all, he had...saved her, hadn't he. He hadn't hurt her or drowned her, he'd saved her life.

Such a thought would not leave Kina's mind alone. The actions of the sea man went against every lesson, fable, and song she'd ever heard, yet she had experienced this unexpected kindness herself. The actions of the sea man, and more importantly, why he decided to save her, left Kina in a state of contemplative unrest. Her curiosity was piqued. It burned like a fire within her mind, urged her to return to the sea. Still, she restrained herself...for as long as she could. Curiosity was the very foundation of her nature and she could not deny it for long. So, three nights after the earthquake had shaken her world, Kina finally gathered the courage to go to her bay once more.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello all! Here's the next chapter. Please enjoy and review if you feel _ANY_ inclination to critique, fix, suggest, or (dare I say it) praise, please feel free to do so. Now, go! Read to your heart's content!**

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 **Chapter 3**

The night was warm and clear, silver light dancing upon the earth and sea as Kina stepped out of the forest. The moon, her ever watchful friend, beamed to see her again and the hollow black sky could not have been brighter. Though her friend's kind attentions might have drawn a smile to Kina's lips any other night, she was far too focussed on the water before her to notice. Every rustle of the great canopies behind her, every rise and fall of the soft waves before her, all set her nerves alight and wound her body into a coil of rapt agitation. Her steps slowed as the cool, wet grass beneath her feet gave way to even cooler sand. Its crumbling grip and lifeless hold only served to make Kina regret more and more the burning curiosity which drove her away from the stable, welcome ground and towards the hypnotic, uncertain waters.

Kina touched the knife hidden beneath her dress and felt reassured by its presence. She did not know if the sea man would be there, did not even know if she _wanted_ him to be there, but Kina wanted some means of defence in case he wasn't half so merciful as she had been led to believe.

Kina stopped warily at the edge of the water where only the strongest of the small waves could tickle her toes. Their cool touch made her shiver a bit, but she could not hold back the smile that sprang to her lips. Her eyes slipped over the water and out to sea, gladly watching her beloved ocean rise and fall in that simple, mesmerizing way.

She snapped herself back to awareness and mentally chided herself. She had to remain vigilant, she wasn't safe here. But the waves kept singing, the moonlight kept swaying, and the ocean breeze pulled at her limbs, urging her to join in this ancient dance. The sea once again lulled her into a blissfully unaware state. Her body began to sway with the breeze as she felt the brush of a thousand caressing touches coaxing her unease away. Her senses were jubilant; her breath was filled with the salty scent she had missed so much the past few days; her skin was alive with the warmth of the wind; her eyes closed, and her mind's eye opened to feel rather than see the beauty around her; her ears conjured a melody by which her feet began to move. Swaying became steps, stepping became turns, turning became leaping and Kina was dancing with the night.

Kina was not alone in her dance. In the water another pair of hands moved to the pull of the ocean. Strong limbs pushed and pulled at the water to twist about and curve in the most powerful, yet graceful, way. The sea man too was caught in the grasp of the unheard melody. Afraid to breach the surface, but unable to return home without a glimpse of the land girl, he had begun to dance when the invisible hands had coaxed him to do so. He lost himself in the dance, so much so that he forgot about his fear and rocketed out of the water in a leap of utter grace and strength. Once in the air, hs fears returned to him in a moment and stabbed at him viciously like the cold air. He turned his head in the last second before his body returned to the water and caught a glimpse of the land girl far away on the shore, leaping and landing in time with him.

The sea man did his absolute best to make the least noise possible upon re-entering the water. Once back inside its familiar embrace, the sea man tried to regain his senses and scattered mind. _She ...is ...here….She is here. She is here!_ He flited about filled with an uncomfortable mix of joy, fear, anxiety, and eagerness. Should he try to speak with her? Why had she returned? Had she...had she returned to see him? Heavens above, what should he do?! _Wait a second!_ The sea man stopped dead in his bubbles. He had seen her dancing up there, dancing to the same melody as he. It was a melody that he had been born with, one that flowed in his very veins. It was a melody that he knew well enough to play. Gripping the pipes that he'd tied around his waist, the sea man looked to the shimmering light of the surface and started to swim.

Back on the shore Kina danced on, unaware of the sea man or anything else for that matter. She was having such fun, felt such freedom, that she did not wish to return to awareness. That is why she did not notice when her melody became actual sound. The whispering, singing voice of the sea man's pipes matched her melody so well that she began to dance to it, rather than the melody she felt, without pause or hesitation. When the melody changed, her dancing followed suit. Her body swayed and flew with the song of the sea. When the volume grew, her motions instantly intensified, and for just a moment the heartbeats of both Kina and the sea man sang in perfect unison. So entranced was Kina that it took literally falling over herself to break the night's spell.

With a yelp, Kina fell forward, feet twisting about each other as she descended towards the water. In that split second her mind went into a panic as the water came up to meet her. The water was barely calf deep, but as she splashed down the cold instantly flooded her mind with memories of the gnawing, suffocating press of the water all around her three nights before. Her head ducked below the water even as her arms caught her fall and she jerked her neck up, gasping as water ran down her face and blinded her eyes. She lay there, half in the water and half out as her body was wracked with paralyzing shivvers that flew up and down her spine. Her heart was racing and her breathing was ragged when two warm hands gripped her shoulders.

He had been only a few feet away when she fell. Her screech and terror-filled face had sent him racing in her direction. When she pulled her face out of the water and began that horrid, ragged gasping the sea man knew he had to do something. Her face was so pale and he could see her body shaking like a leaf, but when tears began slipping from her eyes, the sea man could be indecisive no more. He reached towards her and gently held her shoulders, caressing the skin there lightly with his thumbs.

He knelt before her, slowly calming her down with gentle hushing sounds and rhythmically rubbing her shoulders and upper back. Slowly but surely, her shivers died down and she raised her eyes from the water to the sea man's face. He was a bit afraid in that moment that she would scream and pull away or strike at him, but instead she began to cry harder and dropped her face to his chest. It was such a sad, simple motion that the sea man could not help but wrap his arms around her and pull her close. She seemed to take comfort in this and slowly wrapped her arms around him in turn, crying into his chest.

Some part of Kina's brain was absolutely dumbfounded by what was happening. Why hadn't she run? Why hadn't she used the blade she'd specifically hidden for this very purpose?! But most of Kina's mind was simply fighting off shock, trying to fight back the memories of her near-death experience, and relishing in the comforting embrace of the sea man, whose warmth and heartbeat calmed her down significantly. She listened to its rhythm and felt her breathing slow to match it's steady pace.

As she regained control and her tears ceased, Kina was suddenly filled with shame. Here she was, crying like a child after taking a tiny spill into the water. She was a grown woman, for goodness sake! She pulled away from the sea man's embrace warily and somehow missed the flicker of sadness that flashed over his face before a look of kind concern replaced it.

"Um," she cleared her throat awkwardly and rubbed the last of the tears from her eyes, "thank you, I guess. For saving me...twice...kinda."

"Uh, yeah. You're, um, you're welcome." Oh boy. She had forgotten how deep that voice was.

"Are you…are you alright?" He intoned.

"Yes, yeah. I'm fine now." Well, it certainly didn't seem like he was going to drag her down to the depths of the ocean, so Kina began to stand up. The sea man gripped her arms lightly and helped her to her feet before moving back into deeper water. It was then that Kina really took note of his legs, or better said, lack of legs. Where his waist met his hips was the first line of silvery scales that descended in resplendent layers down his tail to a pale fin. His tail was enhanced in some places by golden streaks and swirls that almost seemed to move through his scales as if they were alive. Kina realized that he must have been nearly beached when he came into the shallows to help her. Again she felt a rush of shame and embarrassment, though it quickly disappeared when she noticed that the water seemed higher around the sea man than anywhere else. But how could that be? Realizing she was staring Kina quickly looked up to the sea man's face and saw a curiosity that mirrored her own reflected there.

He had been so grateful that she hadn't run away when she'd pulled away from him. But for tuna's sake, he'd sounded like a total moron! Stumbling over what to say, probably creeping her out, why couldn't he ever be as charming as his brother?

Now she seemed to be surprised by his tail. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. His cheeks grew warm in response to her intense scrutiny, though he quickly found himself just as enraptured by her eyes as she was by his tail. He'd only seen a glimpse of them before, but now, with her only a few feet away, he could see all the colors of the earth glistening in her eyes. They were a rich, warm, earthen brown filled with slivers of gold and green that danced in the light of the moon. He wanted her to look up so he could better study their depths when her head suddenly lifted and his wish was granted. When she looked directly at him they were even more…

"Beautiful." Kina whispered. The sea man's face changed from curiosity to surprise and Kina blushed intensely.

"Your tail, I mean. It's beautiful." The sea man looked a bit less surprised and a bright smile lit up his face.

"Thank you. As are your eyes." If Kina's cheeks hadn't already been burning, she was sure that she would be now.

"Amongst my people, none have such eyes. Reds and violets, yes, but never such warm tones of the earth." Kina shifted on her feet and looked around a bit before meeting the sea man's eyes again.

"Yours are...different than I thought. I thought they were red, like the elders said, but they're actually violet, aren't they." The sea man smiled again, then looked away shyly. Neither had any idea what they were supposed to say. Then it struck Kina: she'd been standing here for however long with the person who saved her life, commenting on how beautiful his tail was, and she hadn't even asked his name!

"My name is Kina, by the way." She said, holding out her hand. He looked at it, confused for a moment.

"Do your people shake hands when they meet someone new?"

"Ah, no. But," the sea man reached out hesitantly and carefully gripped her hand, "my name is Mihael."

His hand lingered on hers much longer than was custom for Kina's people but she found it strangely difficult to pull away. When they did let go Kina could not help the soft smile that lit up her face. Mihael did not even try to conceal his.

Though awkward and uncertain at first, conversation between the two grew as the night wore on. They spoke of their families and their peoples that night, learning how one lived in their very different worlds. Mihael was very interested in hunting on land, begging for descriptions of everything from the woods and the fields, to the hunting weapons and the beasts themselves. Mihael took special notice of the way Kina so fondly described the forest and found himself imagining the wondrous place in great detail on the back of her loving descriptions. Never had he dreamed that such beauty could exist past the tall rock cliffs and barren sands that lined his beloved ocean.

Kina found herself intrigued by Mihael's descriptions of the village under the sea, the coral reefs that grew nearby, and the treacherous undersea canyons where his people hunted. When she asked a question that had been eating at her for a while Mihael couldn't help but laugh. She had looked _so serious_ when she asked how he could live in the ocean but not flop around gasping like a fish while staying above water. Between chuckles, Mihael told her he could breathe both on land and in the sea. She found it difficult to imagine breathing water without looking completely like a fish and was tempted to disbelieve Mihael and his very human mouth altogether before he turned and showed her his gills. Four jagged slits just above his scale line on each side of his lower back. Kina wasn't sure whether she was more fascinated or unnerved.

Mihael had a similar reaction to her toes when Kina lifted up her leg for him to see. When she wiggled them Mihael actually had to turn around for a moment to regain his composure while Kina laughed her head off.

As the sky turned from black to grey, the pair of unlikely friends had to bid each other farewell.

"I really do have to head home." Kina said sadly.

"I know. I need to be heading back too. My brother will be wondering where I've swum off to." Mihael said, smiling warmly at Kina. She smiled brightly in return.

"I really did have a wonderful time talking with you. You are…so different than what everyone thinks your people are like. I've had so much fun hearing about your world, and there's so much more I want to ask!" Kina said, watching the lightening horizon.

"Well," Mihael said hopefully, "you could always ask me tonight."

Kina looked down from the sky and into his face. They both began to smile. What an adventure stretched out before their eyes.

"Will you be able to return tonight?" Kina asked.

"If you will be here, of course."

Kina fought back a blush and chided herself internally.

"So," Mihael asked, "will you come back again?"

Kina just smiled and turned away. As she walked up the beach and towards the waiting trees she simply called back, "Perhaps! Perhaps."

The trees soon swallowed her form and Mihael couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He watched where she had disappeared for a moment longer before darting back into the sea and swimming down to his home. All the way, he kept seeing in his memory the beautiful smiling eyes of his new friend and felt an exhilarating warmth bloom in his chest. As he swam, he was unaware of the vibrant melody that rippled up from his chest and into the water, singing to all the ocean of the joy of this night and his eagerness to see Kina once again.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello everybody! Thank you to the wonderful readers who followed and favorited this story and thanks to all who just took the time to read it. Here's the next chapter up. Enjoy, and have a very merry holiday season! Please read, review and explore to your heart's content!**

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 **Chapter 4**

"So, little brother, who is it that's got your tail in a twist?"

Mihael was startled back to reality by his brother's booming voice. He looked back in shock, then quickly turned forward again to monitor the school of fish they were herding towards the other hunters just beyond the reef.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, twisting gracefully around spires of rock and coral.

"Come on, Mihael," his brother said, words dripping with sarcasm, "I've seen that faraway look on your face _soooo_ often these last couple of weeks, I can't possibly ignore it any longer!"

Mihael glared as his brother swam in circles around him with a dramatic look on his face.

"Seriously, Lykos. Drop it." Mihael really wanted to finish quickly today and his brother's distraction would not help him keep track of the school darting around the colorful undersea flora that bloomed in every crevice of the reef. It was hard enough keeping the fish heading in the right direction when his brother was helping, but with him distractedly yapping away it was nearly impossible. He'd missed his meeting with Kina last night because of all the jobs his mother had left for him when he'd returned from the hunt late in the day. Today he was determined to get everything done in time to spend the whole night with Kina and still have time to sleep. The sooner they caught all the fish they needed the sooner he could get away.

Oblivious to his little brother's frustration, Lykos just laughed.

"How can I?! My little brother has finally found someone he _fancies_. After all these years, and so many wonderful examples from yours truly, little Mihael will finally woo someone!"

Mihael rolled his eyes.

"I'm not little any more."

Lykos laughed at his little brother's petulant face before swimming around him to poke Mihael from every direction.

"Are you sure? You still seem plenty scrawny to me. Or, wait, is this just baby fat?" Lykos jabbed at Mihael's admittedly firm stomach with practiced accuracy. Mihael batted Lykos' hands away and jabbed at his brother lightly with his spear.

"Focus on the fish and get your demon fingers away from me!"

"That's not what they're usually called. My lady friends are usually quite generous in their compliments of my hands."

"C'mon man! That's more than I wanted to know. And don't ever touch me with those things again."

Lykos smirked at the look on his brother's face before the smirk faded and was replaced with a kind look that did not often frequent his handsome features. Lykos swam towards Mihael and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"You really aren't that little anymore, I suppose. It's a bit bittersweet honestly, to see the little guppy all grown up!" Lykos reached up and tousled his little brother's already water-mussed hair and smiled.

"Come on, Mihael. Tell me about her," Lykos said, turning to guide the school back on track. Mihael smiled and opened his mouth to respond, but a wry grin crossed Lykos' face and he beat his brother to the punch.

"Well, if it is a _girl_ , that is."

"Lykos!" Mihael shoved at his brother. Lykos, of course, was laughing up a storm...which in turn freaked out the fish and sent the brothers into mad sprints to get them back into one solid group again.

"Sorry little brother, just had to. But seriously, take your pick: man, woman, fish, whale…"

"She's a woman!"

"Oooooh! So there _is_ a woman?"

Mihael slapped a hand to his face and regarded his brother with a look of utter exasperation.

"Yes, okay! Yes, there is a woman. She is smart, and beautiful, and creative, and energetic, and beautiful, and adventurous, and curious, and vibrant, and—"

"Let me guess, beautiful?"

"Yes! Her hair is as gentle as the smallest waves, her face the image of beauty, and her eyes —stars, Lykos— You should see her eyes." Mihael looked up at the surface with a grin. He found himself enjoying the flickering brilliance of the sunlight on the waves far above him. He found his mind often connected light with the sound of Kina laughing.

"We can talk about anything in the world it seems. We are so similar, and yet so, so different…it's amazing. I never thought I would ever meet someone who makes me feel so… good. Every second I'm around her is just, perfect. She's _perfect_." Mihael drifted a bit, lost in his own little world, before looking at his brother with the most honest and earnest face. "I...I really like her, Lykos."

That look burrowed into Lykos like a barnacle and refused to let him go. For a moment he felt a pinprick of jealousy, that his brother should find a connection with the first woman he'd taken an interest in while Lykos had been with so many women without ever finding such a spark. Lykos brushed the feeling away and let his affection and joy for his brother sweep through him. He sighed, a smile on his face, and swam over to his brother.

"Alright, Mihael. It seems like she's got you hook line and sinker, so she must be wonderful. If you ever need anything from me; if you don't understand what the hell she's saying, or you screwed up and she's angry at you, or you didn't screw up and she's angry at you—"

"Lykos!"

"— or anything at all, just come calling and I'll do anything I can. My little bro deserves someone special."

The brothers enjoyed the moment...for a moment. Lykos never could stay serious for very long. Besides, their quarry was swimming away again. So the two swam off to rejoin the hunting party with the school in tow, currents brushing past like the kiss of the wind. The smile that had been fastened to Mihael's face for two weeks showed no signs of slipping as his thoughts drifted on the currents of his mind ceaselessly towards his beloved friend of the earth.

Back on the aforementioned earth, Kina was receiving a similar questioning from Etani. Despite her best attempts to ward of her curious cousin, Etani would not be dissuaded and had searched her out relentlessly for the past few days. Unfortunately for Kina, Etani had guessed the source of her recent mood, just not the right _person_.

"I know something's up. There's gotta be something up. You've been _way_ too happy recently for there to be 'nothing going on'!"

"But there's nothing going on between me and Senai!"

"Oh, come on! You two have been practically attached at the hip since you were kids. Besides, who else in our village could have caught your eye?"

The two women were bathing in the warm springs that pooled in deep wells just inside the forest. Kina was doing her best to finish quickly without being rude to her cousin. She wanted to tell Etani everything, about where she'd been and all that she'd learned, but that would put both her and Mihael in danger. Kina looked into Etani's curious, teasing eyes and knew she would never harm her or Mihael, but she also knew that Etani told her husband _everything._ Kobe, Etani's husband, was a very…passionate warrior, especially in regards to the land tribe's rivalry with the sea people. No, she could not tell Etani about Mihael.

"Honestly Etani. There's plenty of other young men in our tribe who I could be interested in. There's Nuga, and Mogane, and Seseno, and—"

"And you have shown less than no interest in _any_ of them! The only man anywhere close to your age who you actually speak with on a regular basis is Senai!"

"There is NOTHING going on between us! I told you already, Senai is not courting me!"

Both Kina and Etani wore looks of irked exasperation. Their gazes were locked, neither willing to admit defeat...for a moment. Then the moment passed and Etani seemed to shrink a bit. Her eyes dulled to a melancholy luster as she looked at Kina.

"We've always told each other _everything._ Even though I was six summers older than you, you told me about your first friend, first hunt, your dreams and your nightmares. You told me everything and I did the same. You were the first person I told about Kobe. You were the first to know when he courted me, when he kissed me. We laughed so hard together when I told you about the first time he tried to hold my hand while we were walking through the forest and he was so focused on it, he ran into a tree! Do you remember? You were even the first person I told I was pregnant!"

Etani's melancholy eyes shone with a glint of confused betrayal. "I thought, that after all that, you would trust me enough to tell me about _your_ first love too."

Kina could hardly look her in the eye. Of _course_ she wanted to tell Etani about Mihael and the wonderful feeling that sizzled inside of her day and night. It had always been their way, to share everything. She could not leave Etani out of the most wonderful thing in her life when Etani had shared hers so willingly. Kina's mind spun in guilt-fueled urgency. There must be a way to tell keep from losing Etani's trust without exposing Mihael. Suddenly, Kina was struck with an idea.

"Etani…there, there _is_ a man who I've become fond of."

Her downcast friend raised her eyes and looked at Kina with renewed interest.

"He is from...a neighboring tribe. That's why I haven't told you anything. I know you talk to Kobe about everything and, well, you know how he's always acted around the idea of me meeting a special someone." Kina looked at Etani with a look of fond exasperation, slowly bobbing up and down in the warm spring.

"'I'll skin the first man who looks at you with wandering eyes. I'll castrate any man who so _dares_ as to touch you'." Etani imitated her husband with a playful, yet serious, grumbling voice.

"Exactly!" The girls shared a knowing smile. Then Kina sighed. "Please, Etani. Don't tell Kobe about this."

Etani visibly struggled with this request, but finally responded in the affirmative.

"Fine. I won't tell him anything, but that means you have to tell me _everything_." Etani grinned in anticipation and pushed herself over to Kina's side so as to prod her cousin into communication.

"Well, his name is Mihael—"

"Oooh, what an interesting name!"

"Shhh! Do you want me to tell you about us or not?" Etani snapped her mouth closed in a grin and wiggled her shoulders in a childlike way, waiting for Kina to continue. Kina rolled her eyes and resumed her description.

"His hair is very light but his skin is apparently quite dark for people of his tribe. He has strong features and very kind eyes. They're constantly curious, like everything in the world is an adventure. He always asks me the most interesting things, and for once in my life I feel like I've found someone who actually wants to listen!"

Etani shot her a look of mock offense, prompting Kina to nudge her playfully with her shoulder.

"Besides you! And he's so _interesting,_ Etani. It's like my mind can't get enough of him."

"And neither can your eyes, apparently." Kina laughed at that.

"Well, I'll admit he's plenty easy on the eyes, but there's so much more to him than that. There's just, something about him that makes every moment feel precious." Kina looked at Etani who was wearing a smile of motherly knowing. Kina blushed and focused on making little waves in the spring with her slowly pruning hands.

"I know how childish this is going to sound, but it really does feel like we were meant to meet, to become friends, to become...maybe more. Like the heavens wove our life threads together knowing this day would come."

"Star crossed." Etani said quietly.

Kina looked up at her, then up to the grey afternoon sky. "Yeah," she said quietly, "star crossed."

Etani could tell that this was no small crush, no momentary bout of hormonally manipulated emotion. Ever since Kina's mother had passed away, Etani had done her best to be the guiding female figure in Kina's life. She knew Kina now as if she was her own daughter and she could definitely tell, this man, this Mihael, had her darling cousin's heart in the palm of his hand. A sudden apprehension swept through her. She desperately hoped this man would not hurt the darling heart he now held. In her mind, Etani resolved to find out more about Mihael; meet him if she could; find out if he really was a good choice for Kina. After all, Kina was nearing an age where either she would have to choose a husband or her father would choose one for her.

"Tell me more about you two. How long have you known each other? Where have you been meeting? How often have you been able to see him?" Kina smiled at her cousin, glad to be telling someone about all this at last.

"I've been going to see him almost every night for the last few weeks. There's a beach between our tribes that has served as a good rendezvous point. We first met a little over two weeks ago when he saved my life during the quake."

"What?! You were away from the village during the quake? What happened?!"

"Calm down, Etani. I'm just fine now. Actually, he saved me right by the beach where we meet now. I fell into the water during the quake and he pulled me from the water before I could drown. It was quite heroic really, looking back on it. But believe it or not, when he saved me I honestly thought he was one of the murderous sea people the elders always warn us about. Of course, I wasn't actually in any danger at all."

"Oh heavens!" Etani looked quite fearful. "What if one of the sea people _had_ gotten you?"

" _One did,"_ Kina thought.

"I can hardly bear the thought of you in such danger!" Etani fixed Kina with a look of stern concern. "Are you sure it's safe to meet to close to the water. One of the sea people might see you."

" _That's kinda the point, Etani,"_ Kina thought to herself but said, "I'm perfectly safe with Mihael. He would never let anything happen to me."

Etani mulled over this revelation of what had occurred without the slightest inkling on her part two weeks ago. At last she stretched and began walking to the edge of the pool.

"Well, I'm glad you finally told me who's been on your mind. I feel so silly now, just assuming it was Senai." As she dried herself off and Kina began to move to the banks in order to do the same Etani looked back at her friend and smiled warmly.

"It's quite a special thing, isn't it. Well, you know you can come to me for anything at all and as your confidant and best female friend I demand to meet him at some point."

Etani missed the wince that passed over Kina's features as she heard this. Instead, Etani saw only a smile on her cousin's face once her dress was over her head.

"Okay Etani, whatever you say."

Kina felt a strange mixture of elation, affection, and worry as she thought about her exchange with Etani as she dressed. It had felt wonderful to finally tell someone about the exhilarating feelings fluttering about inside her, about Mihael and the night that they'd met. But now Etani wanted to see him. How would she convince her to accept them, different as they were? How could she show Etani the man who she was falling in love with without her cousin falling to the fears of their ancestors?

Such thoughts raced through the mind of the young woman as she and her cousin made their way back to the village in companionable silence, arm in arm. Almost as soon as they stepped out of the trees both women were ambushed by two little balls of energy.

"Ryo! Ryte! We just got clean!" The two boys, dirt-painted bodies and all, held up their arms to be picked up, bouncing up and down with barely contained enthusiasm.

"Baths are boring!"

"And you were gone _so long!_ " Kina bent down to pull Ryo up onto her hip as the small troupe continued its way towards the bustling village. Etani did the same for Ryte, tickling him as she did so.

"Mommy! Stop it!" Ryte squirmed and giggled uncontrollably while Ryo simply wrapped his arms around Kina's neck and gave her a hug. Etani sighed.

"Why do you get the calm one?"

"Dunno. Maybe since you're their mom they know they can give you more hell."

Etani laughed at that and began to blow raspberries on the arms face and tummy of her wiggly son. When he was left a giggling mess and both Kina and Ryo were laughing too Etani shot Kina a warm look and said surreptitiously,

"Yep. Best stupid thing I ever did. Probably the most wonderful, stupid thing you'll ever do too."

" _I don't know, Etani,"_ Kina thought as they walked into the village, " _I think I may be doing something even more wonderfully stupid than you could imagine."_


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello all! I apologize immediately for taking so long to post again. I rather lost my fire for this story, but I feel that it needs to be told, so I made myself sit down and write. This is...a long chapter, so prepare yourself. If you've read all 10,000+ words of my story, I thank you. If you read for a while and decide to never read this story again, thank you anyways. As always, I greatly appreciate reviews. Like, really, don't hold back. I welcome criticism even more than praise.**

 **With that said, enjoy! Welcome back to my world.**

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The waves lapped at Kina's ankles as she sat upon a rock that jutted into the sea. Mihael was telling her animatedly of his hunt with his brother and the other men of his tribe. Kina couldn't help but laugh at the faces he kept making. His imitation of the large fish they'd been hunting and the sharks they'd swum into was absolutely priceless. Finally, when she was reduced to a giggling mess, holding her stomach as if it would burst, Mihael approached where she sat. As she regained control of herself, chuckling every now and again, she watched him glide towards her with a smile. Both were very pleased that his presence was utterly non-threatening to her now.

"Kina…".

"Yes?" Mihael looked almost nervous as he propped himself up on the edge of the rock where Kina sat, fingers fidgeting. She felt...almost bemused at this. What on earth could make him nervous after all the time they'd spent together?

"Three weeks ago, while I was hunting with my brother, I came to realise something...and I thought I should tell you. I wanted to say something sooner, but finding the right words has been...what I want to say, it's...sort of about...um, us."

Kina urged him on with her eyes, a growing ball of certainty building inside her. She knew what this was about and it sent waves of eager nervousness through her and a slight blush to her cheeks. The closest thing to a blush his pale complexion could manage graced Mihael's fair features as he continued to stumble over his words and puzzle over what he wanted to say. Yep, Kina knew exactly what he was trying to do, but she had to let him get it out. She needed to know if he was brave enough to say it.

"Kina, from the moment I saw you I knew you were someone incredibly special and precious. Every moment of the last month I've spent in your company has been absolutely breathtaking. So, I wanted to tell you….I just wanted to say….thanks, for-for everything."

Kina sighed internally. So he wasn't quite ready yet. Oh well. She would wait. If only he could see that she would accept him and his feelings as soon as he _said something_. This time, Kina sighed out loud and Mihael looked up. He opened his mouth to ask after the sigh, but the kind smile she fixed him with robbed him of all words.

"You're welcome, Mihael. And I thank you in return. Without these nights I never would have known the beauty of a world just beyond my reach. Hearing your stories of your tribe and the sea have inspired my dreams with all sorts of wonders." A small sadness bloomed in her smile as she looked out at the ocean before her. The cloudless sky was so bright that night, it was as if another sun were shining, and every wave was adorned with silver.

"I just wish I could see it with my own eyes."

Mihael reached out and took her hand gently in his, saying with a small smile, "You can."

Kina's gaze flew from the sea to the man before her, and dallied momentarily on his hand holding hers. When her eyes met his she asked a silent question, and he smiled in reply.

"My people look different from yours, but there is something besides the tails and gills that makes us different. You see, when my people were first born of the sea, as your ancestors were born of the earth, we were given some of the sea's power as both a gift and a curse." Mihael looked uncertain for a moment and Kina realised he was not supposed to tell her this; whatever story he was about to tell her was either very precious or very dangerous. He took a breath. Maybe both.

"We were given power over the water, allowing us to bend it to our wills. We can move it, shape it, control it as we please. But, in return for this gift, we were made unable to leave the water. If ever our skin and scales completely leave the sea, we will turn into foam."

Kina gasped in realisation. "I remember the first time we truly spoke, I noticed the water seemed higher around you than any other point and didn't understand how this could possibly be. Now it makes sense!"

Mihael smiled at the look of triumphant realisation on his beloved's face. "Yes," he said, "I used my powers then, and many other times too. I am descended from a line of particularly powerful seafolk and can do some things that no one else in my tribe could ever dream of doing." Mihael looked at Kina with a particularly hopeful and excited expression. "And it is through these powers that I can grant your wish."

"What?" Kina asked, surprised.

"I can never see your world, not with my own eyes, but I can make it so that you can see mine."

"Wha- but how? Without air, I would drown beneath the waves. And besides, I can't swim."

Mihael smiled. "I think I have a way to show you my world without the threat of drowning or the need to swim."

Kina still looked unsure. The last five weeks or so had taken away most of her fears regarding the sea, but she was still uncertain. She did not believe Mihael would ever intentionally hurt her, but what if his plan went awry? What if something unforeseeable happened and she was caught in the cold, tight grip of the ocean once again.

As if he could see the exact source of the turmoil in her mind on her features, Mihael reached up and squeezed both her hands gently, bringing her attention back to the present. He looked into her worried eyes with absolute faith and love shining in his own.

"Do you trust me?"

Kina's breath caught in her throat and her heart squeezed, as if the tender embrace of his gaze had wound itself around her chest. Of course she trusted him! Despite her fears, her nightmares, she would gladly put her life in his hands. How could she not….when she….

"Always." She said, quietly, but sure.

A grin stretched itself across Mihael's face and his eyes shone with promise. With the gentlest pull, Mihael drew Kina slowly to the water, holding her hands kindly, yet strongly, so she knew there was nothing to fear. Kina shivered as the cold water danced up her spine a little further with each step deeper into the sea. Once her toes could only barely keep her head out of water Mihael said to her,

"I've got to let go of you for a moment, but don't be afraid. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear." Kina nodded slightly in response and Mihael let go of her hands. His head disappeared under water for a moment before Kina felt a very strange sensation. The water around her felt as if it was tugging her downwards, and with a start, Kina realized it was. But before she could panic, Kina realized that though she was sinking, she was staying above water. In fact, as Kina watched, fascinated, the water that had surrounded her body moments before now receded, leaving her in a cocoon of air. The water outside her bubble pressed towards her to fill the space in its being, but her pod of air held strong. Soon, her entire body was encapsulated in a large air bubble with several thin tendrils reaching to the nearby surface. It was as if some sort of air octopus had swallowed her whole.

Finding it hard to stand on the bubble's round walls, Kina sat down and looked around her in awe. She wasn't far underwater, only a few feet from the surface, but still, it felt to her as if she had been transported to a completely different world. And in a way, she had been.

Through the walls of her air cocoon, Kina could see everything under the clear water. Beams of moonlight illuminated the sea floor in slanted columns that danced with the movement of the waves above. Rocky reefs rose from the sand in rolling shapes ahead of her, decorated with festive colors by plant life unlike anything she had ever seen. Darting about the reef, and even approaching her peculiar form, were multitudes of fish; some were as silver as the moon while others wore skins of impossible kaleidoscopes, each shimmering like a living jewel.

Kina was entranced. Never had she, even in her most vivid imaginings, expected such a vibrant masterpiece of living colors to greet her under the waves.

Mihael took in her face, beaming with innocent awe and glee. He felt his heart warm within his chest. He had been the one to make that incredible smile grace her face. Him and his world.

In that moment he realized that he would give her the world entire; the sea, the land, and even the sky; if she merely asked.

He was gazing at her with complete joy and love when her eyes found his face. She stared into his eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Mihael was at her side immediately, asking if she was alright, if she had been hurt somehow, frantically checking his control of the water surrounding her to be sure that she was still getting fresh air. She shook her head at him from within her bubble, a hand pressed to her heart with one hand and her other, extended gently to the bubble's edge with fingers splayed.

"...Thank you…Mihael, thank you…so, so much." She laughed through her tears with a watery smile. Mihael smiled in return and placed his hand against hers.

"It is my greatest pleasure." He said in reply.

* * *

They explored the sea together that night. Kina's eyes danced with delight at each new animal and oddity. Waving fields of seaweed had seemed underwater pastures for the strange and beautiful creatures of the water. Kina had adored the colorful fish of the reef. They reminded her of the colorful little birds of the forests, flitting to and fro in spectacular dress. After some time in the reef she had questioned Mihael whether there were any fish that weren't so small as the ones she had seen thus far. While he had been tempted to show her a shark in response, he decided she may better enjoy meeting some gentler giants. She had been left completely speechless when Mihael had showed her a school of rays, flying through the water on featherless wings, many larger than she was.

They too soared through the water, carried by currents and the powerful ocean. They danced through caverns, glided down canyon walls, wound their way through forests of green. Every sight and sound was so beautiful, Kina felt as if her heart might burst, as if she'd only been half alive till now, as if all her life had been a gray dream, and she was only now waking into a world of color.

The animals of the sea seemed to feel the joy she radiated and welcomed her how they could. A group of sea turtles came and swam beside her and Mihael as they went out to deeper water. Their sturdy, earthen-colored backs reminded Kina of the painted pots her people used for festivals, and she was sad to see them go when they turned from her and Mihael on their journey through the sea.

As the turtles swam away, Mihael raised some kind of whistle to his lips and gently blew. Kina asked him what it was for and he replied that she would see soon enough. Kina had waited with baited breath for some time when a large group of gray shapes seemed to appear out of nothing in front of them. It was a pod of dolphins, which also immediately welcomed this woman of the earth into their beautiful world. With lithe, graceful motions, they danced about her with such speed that Kina was left breathless just by watching them. They chattered to one another gaily and Kina laughed at their fun. Many times, the lovely creatures approached Mihael, who would stroke them gently and let them pull him through the water. He danced with them through the water and Kina wished so much that she could join them as well. Still, she watched, enchanted, as the creatures of the sea danced to the pull of the ocean.

Mihael smiled as he danced, completely in tune with the animals and the water around him. This was his home, his world, and he was treasuring every second of sharing it with Kina. It brought him incredible joy, and a swell of pride, that this midnight adventure brought his lady love such happiness. Any time he felt fatigue at using his power over the sea to such an extent and for so long, he would look again at the smile and awe illuminating Kina's face and feel his strength renewed.

At last, Kina began to yawn in spite of herself, and though she never wanted the night to end, she knew she had to return to land. Mihael knew this too and bent the currents to speed them back to shore, albeit with reluctance. They left the dolphins behind. They passed by the caverns, undersea canyons, and towering forests of seaweed. They traveled through shallower and shallower water. They came upon the reefs that bloomed close to shore and at last let themselves feel some twinge of sadness at the rapidly-approaching end of their adventure.

When Kina's bubble began to pull her upwards back toward the surface she turned to Mihael and quickly said, "Wait!" Mihael stopped the bubble's progression and looked at her in surprise. "Please," she said, "let me look just a little longer." Mihael smiled gently and nodded. Kina pressed her hands against the wall of her bubble and stared desperately into the water. She tried to take in every detail she could see, every groove in the sand, every sponge and anemone swaying in the constant push-pull of the water. Kina loved it, she loved it all, and she knew she would never forget this night.

With tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, Kina finally turned away from the beckoning reef and looked to Mihael. He was watching her intently with an expression Kina could not translate. Still, he returned the smile she sent him as she finally said, "Okay. I'm ready."

The water around her pulled her ever upwards until first her head, then her shoulders, then her whole chest was above water. Then, as the cold ocean water rushed in around her body, Kina felt two strong arms wrap around her. Mihael held her close against him with one arm under her legs and the other around her waist. His nearness sent a blush to Kina's cheeks which she hid by wrapping her arms around his neck and hiding her burning face in the juncture of his shoulder and neck. This too pleasantly startled Mihael and he tightened his grip on the lovely woman in his arms, ever so gently.

He took them in to shore, perhaps more slowly than was really necessary. Though neither would admit it, the strange pair was quite happy to stay so close to one another. Mihael swam them over to the rocks from which Kina had entered his world and rose out of the water to set her gently on its dark surface. They parted slowly, reluctant to leave the warmth of their embrace. Even as they disentangled, one of Kina's hands remained on Mihael's shoulder. They stayed silent for a moment; the waves lapped at Kina's calves and Mihael's brilliant scales. They felt a tension in the air, as if the whole world was waiting with baited breath to witness something momentous while they were simply caught in the moment.

 _Caught in the moment, caught by the tide, tied together by silent stars._

Kina's hand moved from Mihael's shoulder up to his cheek. Her thumb made silent strokes over the smooth, pale skin; a sharp contrast, like night and day.

"Thank you, Mihael. You have shown me so many beautiful things this night. I...I never could have dreamed so many wonders existed just beyond the shore. To be with you, part of your world, even just for one night, has been the most wonderful experience of my life."

Her grace, her warmth, it rushed through Mihael's veins like fire and pooled in his heart. It gave him strength. It gave him courage.

Mihael raised a hand to cover Kina's and turned his head to press a kiss into her palm. "It is I who should be thanking you. You have given me so many gifts, so much joy, more than you know." He looked almost afraid for a moment before his eyes met Kina's and he pushed the words forwards.

"The truth is...I've been coming to this bay for about two summers now. I found it by chance one night and I saw you there, on the sand. Truly, I was scared of you at first. We were taught that your people are dangerous and cruel. But then, you opened your mouth and...you sang. You sang so beautifully that I completely forgot to be afraid! From that night on, I came whenever I could. Some nights I saw you, others, I did not. I knew I could not approach you, but I was so curious. Whenever you would talk to the moon, I would overhear you, and I felt so horrible to listen without your knowing. I started just swimming nearby, only surfacing to hear you sing." Then a shadowed look fell over his face. "Then...then came the earthquake. You'd been talking to the moon that night, so I'd swum a ways away, and when you fell….I knew immediately. I could almost...feel your fear, your panic, through the water. I swam back as quickly as I could, but by the time I'd reached you you'd stopped moving and I was so, so afraid that you were gone." Mihael's grip tightened around Kina's hand and his other hand, which he'd rested beside her on the rock, was clenched into a tight fist. Kina noticed this, and despite the turmoil she felt at Mihael's confession, she rested her other hand atop his and watched as it relaxed to hold hers, gently.

 _Gently_ , she thought, _he's always been so careful with me. All this time, even when I did not know he was there, he was still being careful, being caring._

Kina could see that Mihael was not yet done by the way he seemed to be chewing on his next words. She urged him on with her eyes and he found his voice again.

"I came back each night after that, worried you would never come back, scared that you would. And then, there you were. As strong and bright as ever. We'd been dancing a duet without even knowing it and I was unbelievably happy to realize that I could join you, in some way. Then you fell and I felt your fear all over again. And when I helped you...you didn't run away. More than that, you came _back_. Each night you've taught me something new, shown me something wonderful from your memories and stories. I know that we are very different," he gestured to his tail, "that much is obvious. But, despite that, this last month has shown me that our differences don't matter."

He looked at Kina then, equal parts afraid, excited, and caring. Kina's heart was fluttering wildly in her chest and she suspected that if it were to be let out of its cage it would not fly away in a panic, but rather soar to pale, kind hands.

"Kina...dear, bright, curious, beautiful Kina. I am sure that I will never be able to care for anyone as deeply as I care for you. No matter the obstacles we may face or the space that may try to keep us apart, if you wish it, I would chose to never be parted from you.

I love you, Kina. I am completely, irrevocably, and quite hopelessly in love with you."

Mihael knew these words were risky. If Kina did not feel the same, did not accept his truth, then he may very well never see her again. The thought alone terrified him. She had become so integral to him: she was his best friend, his confidant, and the woman he loved ever so deeply. She made him feel more than he was, and without her, he would be only a shadow of a man.

But, it turns out he'd worried for naught.

Kina's lips came crashing down on Mihael's with all the love and gentle fervor of a fire dancing in a hearth. His surprise quickly bloomed into something far brighter and he met her with equal warmth. Kina's hands, unbidden, wound themselves into Mihael's hair as their kiss deepened. Mihael's arms wrapped around her and pulled her into the water to rest against his chest. Kina never even noticed, she was so lost in this man before her. His soft lips, his heat, his gentleness, his love….Kina knew that no other man, of land or sea, would ever make her feel like this.

When they at last broke apart, flushed and breathless, Kina rested her forehead against Mihael's and said quietly, "Nothing would make me happier than to spend all my days and nights with you." Mihael's eyes opened and he looked at Kina searchingly, as if he feared that he'd misheard her. She gazed at him with eyes so full of love that he was instantly lost. The most beautiful smile he had ever seen blazed across her face with all the light of the coming dawn as her lips formed the words he had so yearned to hear.

"I love you."

Mihael smiled, and then he laughed, he was suddenly so full of glee that he held Kina to him and spun around in the water. Kina's laugh joined his own and they spun together, lost in their joy and newfound love as the first rays of dawn filled the sky with golden promise. Mihael slowed their spinning and looked at Kina with a face shining with joy. _She loves me...she loves me!...and I will love her till the day I die._

"Kina?"

"Yes?" Kina's face radiated such happiness that Mihael felt no need to hesitate, no need to fear, as he boldly asked,

"Will you marry me?"

Kina was stunned for a moment before his words really registered and she cried out,

"Yes! Yes, I will marry you." She kissed him again...and again...and again. So lost in each other were they that they paid no attention to the rising dawn. It wasn't till a voice ringing from the forest, calling Kina's name, reached them, that they became aware of how long they'd stayed out.

"Kina! Kina, where are you?!"

Morning had come while they'd been absorbed in each other, and now, someone was looking for the girl who'd never gone to bed that night.

"Mihael! Quickly!"

"Right!"

Mihael sped Kina back to the shallows where she leapt out of his arms, turned, and planted one more kiss on his waiting lips before whispering, "Go."

With a smile, Mihael turned and leapt into the sea, descending into its depths, away from the prying eyes of the land. Kina looked after him for a moment, watching his glistening silver-gold tail until it was out of sight.

"Kina?! What are you doing in the water?!"

Kina whipped around to see the shocked and frightened face of Etani, who stood just outside of the forest. Etani, seeing where Kina was, knee-deep in the sea, came rushing to pull her out.

"Oh you crazy, crazy girl! What are you thinking, getting so close to the ocean. You know how dangerous it is!"

Kina let her friend drag her out of the water, mouth opening and closing, looking for the words that would calm her friend and explain why she'd been in the water.

"I'm...I'm fine, really. I wasn't in any danger."

" _Not in any danger?_ Not in any **danger**?! You could have been dragged away, drowned by one of those vicious monsters, never to be seen again! Your father, Senai and I, no one would have known what happened to you! You would have been lost to us...forever." Etani's grip on Kina's wrist tightened as she pulled her into the forest. Only once they were unable to hear the waves crashing against the rocky cliffs did Etani's pace slow down. She slowed to a walk, then stood still, holding Kina's arm like a lifeline as her upper body seemed to curl in on itself.

"Etani?" Kina walked around her friend and saw her face crumble, lips shaking as tears dripped down her cheeks.

"I….I was so afraid, when I saw you there. I was so sure...so sure I'd seen the water move. I thought I was about to see you get pulled away by the sea and I just-...I couldn't bear the thought."

Kina's heart fell. Etani had been so worried, so afraid, because of her, because she thought that the sea and the people who dwelled there were dangerous.

"What were you doing there?" Etani whispered furiously. "Otenga came to me this morning you know, Senai in tow. He said he was looking for you and that you weren't in bed. Kina, how could you be so reckless? Sneaking out to meet your...your...suitor is one thing, but staying out **all night?**!" Etani looked at Kina with blazing eyes and Kina shrank under her gaze. "I lied for you! To my chief! I told him I'd sent you out early to look for some roots I needed and that...that I would go and get you. I came out here looking for you, hoping and dreading that you'd stayed out all night with your sweetheart."

Kina sucked in a breath and said hesitantly, "I was with Mihael tonight." Fury rose in Etani's face again and Kina quickly added, "But we didn't do anything! I swear, we've never spent the night...like that. Mihael and I have been taking things pretty slowly. I've been seeing him for more than a month and if I recall correctly, you married Kobe after, what, two, maybe three weeks of courting? "

Etani's fury deflated a bit, but she still had that gut-twisting mix of anger, disappointment, and worry on her face. Kina was feeling appropriately guilty, but she also felt justified. She and Mihael hadn't really done anything, and she had never stayed out this late. It was just chance that it was this morning that Otenga and Senai had come looking for her so early.

"I have half a mind to lecture you till noon," Etani looked down at Kina with firm eyes and crossed arms, though her expression softened as she said, "but first I need you to tell me just what you were doing in the sea." Looking into Etani's face, so full of love and worry, Kina's heart rose to her throat. She struggled to swallow it back down as she held Etani's gaze. Kina knew, she could not lie to Etani now, not like this, and retain even the thinnest thread of her friend's trust. Etani had been like a mother, best friend, and teacher all in one. She deserved the truth.

Kina sighed and moved over to a jumble of rocks a few paces away. She sat and gestured for Etani to do the same.

"I'll tell you everything, but you must promise to listen completely to everything I have to say. Swear it, upon the names of your children that you will not rise from this rock until you have heard all that I have to say." Etani looked at Kina in surprise, she had not expected to receive such a weighty response. Nevertheless, she settled upon the rock and swore upon the names of her beloved sons that she would not move until she had heard Kina's story.

Kina sent a glance to the sky, praying to the stars hiding far above to give her the strength to tell the truth and the words to make Etani see. After all, if she failed, Etani would make sure that Kina never set eyes on Mihael for as long as she lived.

* * *

 **Whew! So, there it is. The chapter you've all been waiting for. As you should know from the story summary, this is a mix of Romeo and Juliet and an African legend that my grandparents showed me when I was little. For anyone who's a little iffy about them agreeing to get married after only a month, go read R &J and get back to me. I was more than generous.**

 **Anywhoosa! Thanks for reading! Reviews are my bread and butter, so please, feed me. Read ya soon!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Well, I'm back! I know, it has been _far_ too long since I added to this story. Truthfully, I've had it all planned out. I just never sat down to write it. Still, a new memo popped up that someone was following this story and I said to myself, "Get on your ass and write!" So, here's the next chapter. I'll do my best to get it finished here before June. As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy the story!**

* * *

To say Senai was agitated would be an understatement. He had been stewing outside the chieftain's tent for most of the morning. Senai was...concerned. Kina's behavior had always been odd, but within the last month her distance from the village was becoming more and more pronounced. She was going out less and less, choosing to spend more time in her hut or out in the woods than with the villagers. If she'd seemed aloof before, now many of the young women whispered that she was growing too proud, too odd. Perhaps she was losing her mind.

Senai was honestly worried that everyone else would begin to notice her nighttime absences and then...who knows what may happen to her. They might call her possessed, or say that she was dangerous to the village. He couldn't let her be in such danger, she was his best friend.

 _And so much more_ , he thought. That morning he had gone to Otenga to ask for a trial and a wager. Every boy in the village had to complete a trial determined by their father before being recognized as a man. Since Senai's father had passed, he chose to entreat Otenga.

"So, you've finally come."

"Yes...I am ready to be tried and recognized as a man. I want to take my place in this village and make a home for myself."

"And all that entails, I presume?" Otenga fixed a Senai with a firm look. "I know as well as you do that claiming manhood is only the precursor to your true goal. Do not bother pretending that it is anything other than my daughter which you seek."

Senai almost recoiled at the ice in his voice, but held firm. "I do not deny that I wish to have Kina as my wife. She is my best friend and the holder of my heart. I have spent my entire life trying to protect and provide for her. Now, I will face whatever task you set before me so that I may truly become your son."

Senai could hardly believe that he'd left that conversation alive and whole. He knew Otenga had always treated him like a son, but Senai knew that Kina would always be the chief's top priority. The thought of anyone taking away his daughter surely infuriated the bear of a man, surrogate son or not. Still, after a few moments of chilling silence, Otenga had burst into laughter and agreed to give Senai his chance. "If you can best the trial I choose, then I swear, your children will carry the blood of chiefs." Senai had released a sigh of relief and he had accompanied Otenga to give Kina the news. Only, Kina hadn't been in bed. Even worse, she hadn't been anywhere in the village. Senai had honestly thought Otenga was going to send out a war party to the neighboring villages before Etani had gone to fetch Kina.

Otenga was furious, and Senai was hoping desperately that Kina truly had been out gathering roots.

Shouts roused Senai from his mulling and he rose to see what the commotion was about.

Some villagers were shouting greetings to the two women who had appeared from the forest. Kina and Etani, both carrying baskets of roots, seemed to be perfectly fine, though Etani seemed a bit...off. Senai rushed out to intercept them.

"Kina! Etani! Welcome home. Here, let me grab that for you."

"Thanks Senai, and I'm sorry about this whole mess."

"What? Scaring your father so badly he almost tore down the village looking for you? No big deal." Though he'd meant it as a joke, Senai could see both Kina and Etani wince at his words. "Hey, really, it's okay. And I do have some really big news to share with you…."

"Kina!" Otenga's voice boomed before them. The villagers who had crowded forward now parted to allow their chief to pass. Otenga came before his daughter, towering above her with a look of stone.

"Father, I-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Otenga reached down and wrapped Kina in his arms. "You had me worried, Kina"

"Sorry, father."

Otenga released her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I do not like the idea of you running off without protection. I need to know that you are safe and cared for, even when my back is turned...and when I am gone." The finality of his tone left Kina feeling uneasy.

"Father...what is wrong?"

"Nothing my dearest daughter. Rather, this is a time for celebration!" Otenga reached to the side and placed his open hand on Senai's shoulder before turning to look at Kina again.

"It is now more clear to me than ever that you need someone to ground you and help you make a home. For this reason, I have given Senai permission to take you as his wife, should he pass the trial I set before him. May your friendship blossom into so much more, cherished daughter. May your union bring unending happiness!"

With this declaration, the entire village broke into hooting and joyous shouting. Some called for fires to be lit and for feasting to begin. Many women clamored to Kina's side, embracing her and congratulating her on the favorable match. The crowds pulled the blessed pair apart, and no one, in all the fuss, noticed the dread hanging upon the faces of the bride-to-be and her cousin.

Otenga came to Senai's side and clapped him on the back. "I will sleep easily tonight, and tomorrow I shall give you your trial. For such an occasion, the trial of my heir, there must be great deliberation." Senai smiled eagerly, overjoyed by the knowledge that soon he and his beloved Kina would be bound together for all time. No one else, he was sure, could ever love Kina as he did.

* * *

"What are we going to do? What can we do?! I can't marry Senai! He is like a brother to me, and what's worse, I've already promised myself to Mihael!"

"Yes, Mihael the _Sea man_. Don't you see, Kina," Etani placed a hand upon the back of her shaking cousin, "perhaps this is a sign from the heavens that you should be with one of your own kind."

Kina whirled to regard her cousin with a look of betrayal. "Etani! How can you say that? Mihael _is_ one of my kind. His heart beats the same as mine, his hands are warm, his eyes hold the gentlest, kindest soul I have ever known. I _love_ him."

Etani closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She looked up and cupped Kina's cheeks with her worn hands. "I know, Kina. I know." Her thumbs brushed away a tear that spilled from Kina's shining eyes. "I felt the same way about Kobe. That's why….that's why I will do whatever I can to help you-" Kina's eyes lit up with joy, "-if you can answer one question."

"Anything."

"Are you certain, absolutely certain, that Senai can never make you happy?"

Kina's eyes looked straight into Etani's as she answered, "Of course he could make me happy. Or, content, at least. But I swear to you, Etani, if I am forced to marry Senai then mine will be a life without love. Senai may claim my name and my body, but he will never have my soul."

"Well then," Etani looked resigned, if a little anxious, "it seems like my meeting with your beau will have to happen on much shorter notice than expected."

* * *

Almost as soon as night fell, Kina escaped from the village and fled to the forest. She and Etani had managed to concoct a plan before being swept away in the village's celebration. It wasn't every day, after all, that a boy had the chance to become a man and a chief's heir all at once. Senai had stayed by her side the whole time, though he'd thankfully drank enough to send him to sleep before Kina needed to make her exit. She had claimed wanting to sleep early so that she could properly cheer on Senai the next day, and her father had let her go.

As she raced over the familiar path, Kina prayed to the stars beginning to emerge that she and Mihael could find a way to be together.

To Kina's immense relief, Mihael was already waiting at the shore when she burst from the trees. Her speed, and look of fear, wiped any trace of a smile from Mihael's face. He nearly fell backwards when she rocketed through the water and into his arms. Worry beginning to grow in his stomach, Mihael held her to him as the water brushed against his back.

"What's wrong, Kina? What's happened?"

Kina pulled away from his shoulder and his look of honest concern sent her over the edge. Tears streaked their way down her cheeks as she choked out the words.

"My-my father…*hic*...he pr-promised my hand…*sob*...to Senai."

Cold dread pooled in Mihael's gut. He knew who Senai was from all of Kina's stories. He'd suspected that Senai might harbor affection for Kina, but he knew that she saw the man as a friend and brother only. Still, he had only just made his own intentions known when this... _competition_ laid claim on the woman who had already agreed to be his!

"Kina...my beloved Kina, breathe. It is going to be alright." Kina's crying slowed as she regained control. She placed her head in the crook of Mihael's neck, and breathed in his claming, salty scent.

"I told Etani, my cousin, about us." Kina felt Mihael tense beneath her and she rushed to reassure him. "It's alright! She won't tell anyone. She has promised to help us...despite her misgivings."

"Well, it's good to know that there are now _two_ land people who don't want to skewer and grill me."

Kina smiled, "Well, I think she's still reserving judgement, at least a teeny bit. Actually, that's why she'll be here soon. She's coming to meet you as soon as her husband and children are asleep. She has a way for us to be together...but will only help us if she decides that she can trust you."

Mihael felt anxious about the prospect of meeting another land person, but knew that if Kina trusted Etani this much, then he should put his faith in her.

"Meeting your family, huh? So soon? I think we should maybe get to know each other a bit more before taking such drastic steps." His sarcasm was met with a laugh, albeit a watery one.

"Says the man who just asked me to marry him."

"And do you?" Mihael asked, "Do you still want to marry me?" Kina could hardly believe the question. "I'm not exactly the kind of man you can present to your father with pride. Being together will likely never be easy for us and I don't even know if we can have _children_ –"

" _Mihael_!"

"–and I'm sure this Senai would make sure you are safe and well provided for…"

"Well, if you like him so much, maybe you should marry Senai!" Kina's rage was scalding and Mihael elected to hold his tongue.

"I agreed to marry you, Mihael. Not Senai, not a tree, not a deer. _You_. I didn't say 'yes' because I thought it was easy or momentary; I agreed to marry you because I want to spend the rest of my life loving you! So don't you dare ask me to change my mind!"

Mihael's mouth hung open. Sure, he had thought long and hard about whether or not he could dedicate himself to being Kina's husband. Now, he felt foolish for assuming she had not done the same.

"I am sorry, Kina. I should not have said that. I just want you to be safe and happy."

"Then let me be with you. That is where I am always safe and always happy." To punctuate her decree, Kina placed a kiss on Mihael's lips. He relished it. When Kina pulled away, Mihael couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

"You know, I think I could get used to that. It's kind of nice."

Kina smirked, "Oh, is it now?"

"I think it's gross."

Mihael and Kina both whipped around to face the person who broke their moment. They met the stare of two violet eyes bobbing with the waves as a pale form rose from the water.

"Lykos…."

"You know, little brother, when I said it didn't matter what she was...I didn't really mean it quite so literally."

"Lykos, let me explain."

"Explain?!" Lykos approached with a fluid grace that barely disguised his strength, a shiny blade swishing against his side. "I think the last minute of that disgustingly sweet display was enough to make the whole situation all too clear." Mihael released Kina and pushed into deeper waters, placing himself between Kina and his brother. The gesture did not go unnoticed.

"What are you doing, brother? Would you truly fight your own blood to protect that… _woman_?"

"Yes, Lykos. If I must." Mihael answered without hesitation. "She is the woman I have chosen."

Lykos scoffed and eyed the pair before him. "Do not be foolish. You are still young, you may make mistakes–"

"I am a man!" Mihale's skin seemed to glow with power and Lykos stopped his approach. "I am no child, Lykos. I know that this may seem impossible to you, but this is anything but a mistake…Not so long ago, you promised to be of aid to me, you said that I deserved to be with someone special. Do not break your word, brother. I love you, but I will live for her."

Lykos held Mihael's gaze for a long time before movement caught their eyes. Kina sloshed through the water to Mihael's side and took his hand within her own before turning to look at Lykos.

"I know it will be difficult for you to believe this, but I truly mean you and your people no harm. Mihael has spoken of you often, and I want you to know that I already think of you with great fondness. I promise, I do not want to take away your family, I just want to help it grow."

Both Lykos and Mihael looked at Kina in wonder.

"Damn….you sure know how to pick 'em, don't you?"

"That's what I keep telling myself."

Lykos sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He was working very hard not to panic or do anything rash, but it was difficult reconciling that the woman his brother had been raving about was a _Lander_. Heaving another sigh, Lykos turned to face the pair again and this time approached with far more ease. Mihael slowly relaxed and gave Kina's hand a squeeze.

"Well, I gotta admit, she is a pretty thing. You always did have too great a fondness for the shore….oceans abound, what have you gotten yourself into little brother?"

"Actually," Kina spoke up, "we might need your help."

* * *

 **There it is! Please review if you have a moment. Your comments really help me learn from each writing experience. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and stick around for the next one! Have a great day!**


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